Hockey skate end cap

ABSTRACT

An ice skate which includes a longitudinally extending, tubular reinforcing member for the blade, and in which the rear end of the tube is formed as a dome with a central aperture. This aperture receives a screw for attachment of a guard having a tubular body to surround the end of the tube, and an end portion which overhangs the end of the blade.

O United States Patent 11 1 [111 3,814,453 Staples 1 1 June 4, 1974 HOCKEY SKATE END CAP 1.771.755 7/1930 Heath 280/1 1.17

2,455,244 11/1948 Evans 29/422 X [75] lnvemo" John Staples Slough England 3,095,208 6/1963 Shaw 280/1 1.17 3 Assigneez Mitchel & King Skates Limited, 3,279.807 10/1966 Jacobson 280/1 [.17

Slough, England 3.322.437 5/1967 Bauer 280/1 1.17

[22] Flled: 1972 Primary Examiner-David Schonberg [2]] Appl. No.: 232,010 Assistanl ExaminerDavid M. Mitchell I Attorney, Agent, or FirmDowe1l & Dowell [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 1 Mar. 24, 1971 Great Britain 7730/71 [57] ABSTRACT [52] us CL l U 280/lLl7 An ice skate which includes a longitudinally extend- [51 1 Int Cl. '7 A63c 3/12 ing, tubular reinforcing member for the blade, and in [58] Fieid 38 ll which the rear end of the tube is formed as a dome 6 with a central aperture. This aperture receives a screw for attachment of a guard having a tubular body to surround the end of the tube, and an end portion [56] SZF TFFE SZQ which overhangs the end of the blade.

1.750.691 3/1930 Schmidt 28()/11.17 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 41914 F/GZ FIGS.

1 HOCKEY SKATE END CAP This invention relates to ice skates and particularly to safety ends and guards for rear ends of such skates.

It is particularly concerned with skates of the type in which the blade is carried by a tubular member which acts as reinforcement for the blade, with two cupshaped members extending upwardly from the tube to support the heel and sole of the skate-boot. Extensions of the lower ends of the cupshaped members are attached to sides of the tubular member by means of spot-welds. Flanges formed on the tube are spotwelded to the blade, the load on the skate thus being transmitted through these welds to the blade.

A guard is usually provided to prevent the rear end of the tube and blade from causing injury. A number of such guard devices have been proposed but they suffer from the basic'disadvantage that the rear end of the tube is open, and as the guard is usually of a plastics material, the tube tends to cut into the guard in active use such as encountered, for example, in an ice hockey game and indeed the guard may be cut-off leaving the dangerous open end of the tube.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a guard arrangement which is simple and cheap to manufacture and at the same time less susceptible to damage than existing types of guards.

Thus, in an ice skate of the kind having a tube to carry the blade, the rear end of the tube is formed, in accordance with the invention, with a dome-shaped end.

The end is preferably formed with an aperture for a screw or similar attachment device. I

Preferably, the domed end is formed by cutting V- shaped notches in the plain end of the tube and bending the resulting leaves inwards. This can be done in such a way as to leave a suitable aperture in the centre for the screw of the guard, if required.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a guard for such a skate, comprises a tubular body to surround the tube of the skate the body being formed with a slot through which the blade of the skate can project and a closed end to surround the rear end of the tube, the closed end having an aperture through which a screw or other attachment device can be inserted to engage with an aperture in the dome-shaped end of the tube to attach the guard to the skate.

In addition it may have a downwardly depending projection from the closed end, to cover the edge of the blade. It is preferably formed of a resilient mouldable plastics material such as polyethylene.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the blade portion of a tube skate formed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the tube skate of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a guard according to the,

ing the resulting leaves 12 inwardly to form a dome with a small aperture 14 in the centre.

FIG. 3 shows the guard 16 in side view. The dashed lines 18 indicate the position of the internal bore which is adapted to fit around the end of the tube 8, and the position of the hole for the fixing screw is shown at 20. A downwardly depending projection 22 is incorporated to cover the edge of the blade.

FIG. 4 shows the outer closed end of the guard with its screw-hole 20, which is countersunk so that the screw head does not protrude from the guard when it is in position on the skate.

FIG. 5 shows the slot 24 which is provided to fit around the blade, the front edge of the slot 26, also shown in FIG. 3 as a dashed line, being positioned so as to abut the edge 28 (FIG. 1) of the blade.

The domed shape of the end of the tube makes it intrinsically safer, so that even is a guard is accidentally not used, the tube does not have sharp and dangerous edges exposed, and the guard itself is not damaged by such edges when it is fitted.

When the guard is used, it is fitted over the end 8 of the tube and the screw, not shown in the drawings, is inserted through the aperture 20 and screwed into the aperture 14 of the tube. The shape of the guard is such that it covers the end of the tube adequately, and overhangs the edge of the blade but does not overlie its sides so that removal over the fixing flange 6 is not rendered awkward.

I claim:

1. An ice skate comprising;

a longitudinally extending blade;

a tubular reinforcing member extending along the length of the upper edge of the blade;

skate-boot supporting means attached to the tubular member and extending upwardly therefrom;

The tube having a dome-shaped end formed at the rearward termination of the tube;

the said dome-shaped end comprising a number of 1 leaves formed from the, plain end of the tube which leaves are bent inwardly forming an aperture in the centre of the dome, and a guard in the form of a tubular body surrounding and attached to said domeshaped end wherein said guard is attached to said dome-shaped end by a member passing through said guard and engaging with the said aperture in the dome.

2. In combination, an ice skate comprising;

a longitudinally extending blade;

a tubular reinforcing member extending along the length of the upper edge of the blade;

and skate-boot supporting means attached to the tubular member and extending upwardly therefrom;

a dome-shaped end formed at the rearward termination of the tube;

the dome-shaped end being formed from a number of inwardly bent leaves formed from the plain end of the tube;

and an aperture in the said dome-shaped end to receive an attachment device;

and a guard comprising;

a tubular body to surround the tube of the skate;

a slot in the body through which the blade of the skate can project;

a closed end to surround the said rearward termination of the tube;

an aperture in the said closed end for insertion of a screw to engage with an aperture in the said domeshaped end of the tube;

and a downwardly depending projection from the gllosied end of the guard to cover the rear end of the 

1. An ice skate comprising; a longitudinally extending blade; a tubular reinforcing member extending along the length of the upper edge of the blade; skate-boot supporting means attached to the tubular member and extending upwardly therefrom; The tube having a dome-shaped end formed at the rearward termination of the tube; the said dome-shaped end comprising a number of leaves formed from the plain end of the tube which leaves are bent inwardly forming an aperture in the centre of the dome, and a guard in the form of a tubular body surrounding and attached to said dome-shaped end wherein said guard is attached to said domeshaped end by a member passing through said guard and engaging with the said aperture in the dome.
 2. In combination, an ice skate comprising; a longitudinally extending blade; a tubular reinforcing member extending along the length of the upper edge of the blade; and skate-boot supporting means attached to the tubular member and extending upwardly therefrom; a dome-shaped end formed at the rearward termination of the tube; the dome-shaped end being formed from a number of inwardly bent leaves formed from the plain end of the tube; and an aperture in the said dome-shaped end to receive an attachment device; and a guard comprising; a tubular body to surround the tube of the skate; a slot in the body through which the blade of the skate can project; a closed end to surround the said rearward termination of the tube; an aperture in the said closed end for insertion of a screw to engage with an aperture in the said dome-shaped end of the tube; and a downwardly depending projection from the closed end of the guard to cover the rear end of the blade. 